Stop motion for knitting machines



June 4, 1935. A. GRUNA ETAL STOP MOTION FOR KNITTING MACHINES Filed Dec.13, 1934 2 Shets-Sheet 1 BY MM ATTORNEYS This invention relates toimprovements in stop on so as to exert 1 6' Patented June 4, 1935 STOPMOTION FOR KNITTING MACHINES Andrew Gm Union City, and F rdinandBadhuber, North Ber- 1% N. .Livuggnon to Michael cat,

Application December 13, 1934, Serial No.

4 Claims. (01. 66-166) through engagement of an element thereof with thesurface of one of said rollers, will effect the for use on Figure 1 is afragmentary front elevation of a knitting machine of the link-and-linktype, showing only so much of the machine as is necesary to anunderstanding of the invention.

Figure 2 is a fragmentary transverse section through the machine, and

Figure 3 is an enlarged side elevation of the stop motion device of thepresent invention illustrating its position in respect to the takendownrollers.

The knitting ma the machine frame and counter-balanced therepressureagainst the firstnamed roller and the fabric which passes bewhich thefabric 6 is knitted fed downwardly by the cooperation of the upper andlower take-down rollers I and 6 between which said fabric is drawn andfrom whence loose stitches or broken 8 tween the take-down rollers andto stop the maoperation in the event that start to wind upon one ofreadily apparent that upward pressure against the roller 1 and thefabric passing between said rollers. The stop motion of the presentinbefore the defective operation is seen.

"The present invention is designed to overcome the above dimc'ulty byproviding a device of simple and practical construction which,

expedient for the detection of the take-down rollers. v .t

The knitting machine illustrated further in-h, cludes a stopping meansand a control mecha-l Q nism therefor which have heretofore beenemployed in connection with other stop motions of the machine and which,in accordance with the presentinvention, are also controlled by thedevice or devices l4. Such stopping means as referred to usuallycomprise a clutch (not shown) coupled to the drive of the machine to anarm l5 which is withdrawn toward the rear of the machine when the clutchis operative and which, in such position, compresses a spring l6 coiledabout said arm. The forward end of the arm l5 abuts against one end of acontrol lever ll pivoted at ii at the front of the machine and normallyheld in a position to retain the arm I! in its rearward position by alatching bar is pivoted to the frame of the machine at 20 and having anotch or recess 2! intermediate its ends adapted to receive the lever IIwhen said latching bar is in its operative position, as best illustratedin Figure 2. I9 is lifted either by manual or to be described, the sameis disengaged from the lever l1 and the spring 16 immediately becomeseffective to impart a forward longitudinal movement to the arm is tothereby release the clutch and stop the machine.

To manually operate the latching bar I! the same has pivotally connectedto its forward end the arm 22 slidably mounted for vertical movement ona part of the machine frame and provided with a handle 23 formanipulating the same. After the arm 22 has been raised to release thelever H, the bar It, in its elevated position, will rest upon the leverl1 and remain in this position until said lever is manually swung aboutits pivot to force the arm II rearwardly to again throw in the clutch ofthe machine. When said lever has been so actuated the same will haveagain registered with the recess 2| in the bar is and the latter will bepermitted to again assume its horizontal latching position, at the sametime pulling the arm 22 downwardly.

For the automatic control of the latching bar is, which in turn governsthe stoppin means of the machine, there isprovided a well-knownmechanism consisting of a vertically movable slide member 24 guided bythe pins 25 which project from a stationary plate 26 mounted upon thebracket 21 carried by the frame of the machine. When the slide islowered as in the drawings, a dog 28 carried thereby engages with thelatch 29 of an electrically controlled latching mechanism conventionallyshown at 30 and which is of a well-known construction. when themechanism 30 is operated to withdraw its latch 28 from engagement withthe dog 28, the coil spring 3|, one end of which is connected to theupper end of the plate 26 and the other end to a pin 12 at the lower endof the slide 24, becomes effective to impel the slide 24 upwardly. Whenthis occurs a trip rod 23 adjustably secured to said slide and movabletherewith, becomes eifective, through its lateral extension 34, to raisethe latching bar I! out of engagement with the lever l1 whereupon thelatter is swung about its pivot by the action of the spring l6 and armii, the clutch of the machine being thereby released. when it is desiredto start the machine again, the operator need only force the slide 24downwardly until the dog 24 is again engaged with the latch 29. Thelever I! may then be swung about its pivot to force the arm I!rearwardly against the tension of the spring IE to again connect theclutch.

The mechanism thus far described, with the exception of the device 14,has been usedpreviously on knitting machines of the type disclosedherein and in connection with other automatic stop motions of suchmachines, and no claim of novelty is made for this mechanism except asit is employed in combination with the stop motion device of the presentinvention.

The device l4, of which one or more may be employed in the machine andplaced at convenient points in cooperative relation with the rollers I,comprises an elongated casing having a screw-threaded pin 35 extendedlaterally from one end thereof and projected through the extension 36 ofan inverted U-shaped bracket 31 which is adapted to be mounted upon therail H, as best shown in Figure 2, and removably secured in positionthereon by set screws 38. The pin 35 forms a pivot for the casing I4 sothat the latter may be properly adjusted with respect to the bracket 31when mounting the device in position and said casing is secured in itsadjusted position by means of a wing nut 30. The device furthercomprises a control lever 4| a portion of which is enclosed within thecasing l4 with the remainder thereof projecting through an opening inone end of said casing adjacent which said lever is pivoted as at 4| toan extension 42 of said casing. The extremity of the projecting portionof the lever 4| is bent to provide a feeler 43 which is adapted tocontact the cylindrical surface of the associated roller 8. The enclosedend of the lever 44 is bifurcated as at 44 and situated between theportions of said bifurcation is an electrical contact 45. A leaf spring4 has one end thereof secured to the lever 44 intermediate its ends andbears against the bottom of the casing l4 so as to yieldably maintainthe feeler 43 in contact with the surface of the roller 4. wheninitially adjusting the stop motion device on the machine the win nut IIis loosened so as to permit of a pivotal movement of the casing aboutthe pin 35, and the cover for one side of to a position observe theinner end 43 has been casing I4 is then adjusted pivot and relative tothe lever trical contact 45, which is carried by said casing, iscentrally situated between the portions of the bifurcation 44 and out ofcontact therewith, whereupon wing nut may be tightened against theextension 26 to maintain the same in its adjusted position.

With the lever 40 in the position described, normal operation of themachine proceeds with the knitted fabric downwardly between the same andthe roller l. However, should said fabric for any reason adhere and bewound upon the roller 1 and thus double the thickness of the fabricbetweenthe rollers 1 and I, said increase in thickness will cause thelatter roller to be lowered slightly away from the roller I and thefeeler 43. Due to the spring 4|, the lever 44 will be rocked about itspivot 4| as the roller I is lowered and thereby cause the lower portionof the bifurication 44 to engage the contact 44. Such engagement willthereupon close an obvious circuit from one terminal of the battery 41through the contact 4!, the latching lit mechanism 44 and [a otherterminal of the The energization of said latching mechanism permits thespring 3| to raise the its pivot so that the upper portion of thebifurcation 44 will engage the contact 45 with the same result aspreviously described.

When two or more of the stop motion devices it are employed, thecontacts 45 thereof are connected in series, as shown in Figure 1, tothe electrical circuit for energizing the mechanism 30.

and a circuit for said means; of a control device including a pivotedcircuit-closing element having direct contact with the surface of one ofsaid rollers, said element being movable about its pivot, in onedirection by a movement of one of said rollers away from the other andin a difl'erent direction by engagement of said fabric therewith, toclose said circuit.

2. In a stop motion for a knitting machine, between which a knittedfabric is drawn, a frame member adjacent said rollers, and stoppingmeans for said machine; of a device for controlling said stopping means,said device mounted upon said 3. In a stop motion device for a knittingmachine, the combination with a bracket supported upon the frame of themachine, rollers also carried by said frame and between which a fabricis drawn; of a control element pivotally connected to said bracket andhaving one end capable of engagement with the surface of one of saidrollers, the other end of said element being bifurcated, and a contactmember disposed within said bifurcation and normally spaced from theportions of said element forming the same, said being engaged by one orthe other of said portions upon a movement of said control element aboutits pivot in either direction.

4. In a stop motion device for machine, the combination with take-downrollers for said machine, and a support adjacent the take-down rollers;of a casing adjustable on said support, a control element pivoted tosaid casing and having one end adapted for engagement with one of saidrollers, a contact member within said casing normally spaced from saidcontrol element and engaged thereby upon movement of said element aboutits pivot, and means to secure said casing in an adjusted position withsaid control element in contact with said roller and spaced from saidcontact member.

ANDREW GRUNA. FERDINAND RADHUBER.

a knitting

